Play and pray new book

2 | P l a y a n d P r a y
Play and Pray
WHY ?
God is revealed first in the Bible, in the very first book of the Bible,
Genesis, as a God of creativity and this is not " a way-in-the-past"
idea; rather it is still true now, today. And as he took so much trouble
to make sure the first craftmen/builders of the Temple he had chosen
to dwell were filled with his Spirit ( Exodus 31 : 1-11) , then no wonder
he asks, no commands, everyone of us now to be filled with his Spirit
for the new Temple he is building! And I don't think it too much of a a
conclusion that as Bezalel and his team were gifted in areas of art,
design etc then God's people today ought to be brimming with all sorts
of art, dance, music, design, writing, inventing etc. By the way ancient
Talmud tradition has it that Bezalel was 13 years of age.......
Where does God's creativity come from ? I believe God's creativity is
but an overflow of his love and desire to express who he is. Our
creativity also ought to be an expression of our love and a response to
his. God's people should be the most colourful, innovative, passionate
people in the whole world today, in the way we make friends and
share hospitality; in worship and praise, in praying; in the ways we
reach out to our lost friends and communities. Our GOD is creative
God and as his children we also should be creative. In this book you
can find lot of CREATIVE ideas that you can organize a creative
PRAYER time with your youth Group or with your Sunday school kids.

Praying can be difficult: you may not know
what to pray about, where to start, or which
words to use. Sometimes you may feel too
tired, or not be in the right ‘mood’. If so, this
page is for you! Please contact us if you have
any good ideas of your own, so we can add
them to our resources.
Prayer is all about communication with your
best friend - the One who always answers
(although not always in the way you expect).
There are literally hundreds of ways to
communicate with other people - through
words, pictures, music... Why not try some
with God?

Heart Preparation :
Heart preparation : We have little 5 things for heart preparation for the
very effective prayer. Here are the 5 steps we have doing.....
• BE THANKFUL
• SE SORRY
• BE FILLED
• BE QUIET
• BE READY and EXPECTANT FOR GOD TO SPEAK
1. BE THANKFUL
Psalm 100 : 4 says " Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts
with praise...." Griping, moaning, grumbling and complaining are not
what God wants us to live in. We belie and belittle God himself,
exposing how little trust him. They are the traits that led a whole
people to wander in a desert for 40 years, a journey that ought to have
taken no longer than 10 days.
Thankfulness unlocks in our young people such wonderful qualities as
humility, honesty, gratitude and respect. At the outset of " Heart Pre" it
breaks the sound barrier. Thankfulness is first of all an inner attitude
but does well to expressed, and loudly too. Ask everyone to be ready
with 1/2 items they are grateful to God for. You may need at first to
prime them with some suggestions, encourage the ordinary everyday
things such possible.

Now ask for a : machine gun" time of thanksgiving as each person
joins in one words after the other. No gaps, just quick fire prayer. No
long prayers allowed but only 1/2 words. In all age setting ask adults
to hang back at first until the younger ones are joining in.
2. BE SORRY
Psalm 24 : 4 says we need " clean hands and a pure heart" to be in
God's presence. I may lead the group in this way" OK everyone, let’s
ask God to check our hearts right now. Don't go digging around but
allow the Holy Spirit ti gently show you any area he isn't happy with. It
it's something between you and God ask his forgiveness. 1 John 1: 9
says" If we confess our sin he is faithful and just to forgive and
cleanse us from all our unrighteousness." If it means going to say
sorry to someone else then do it right now if possible. If it is someone
else not with us here then agree to the Lord to speak to that person as
soon as you get home, even telephone call. Jesus' teaching is clear,
we are a deep breath as we forgive others.
3. BE FILLED
Ask God to fill us afresh with Holy Spirit as he is the helper, the one
who helps us to cry to our father ( Romans 8:) You may like as the
leader to ask one of the children to lead this prayer. One idea here is
to ask everyone to hold out their palms face up and take a deep
breath. He is closer than the very next breath we take.

4. BE QUIET
There are three main voices we hear in the our minds and hearts,
God's, our own and Satan's. It is a simplistic way of looking at it we
know but can help us focus. With some basic teaching we can help
young people learn to recognize the voice of the enemy and his
tactics of temptations, accusations and condemnation etc. What is
harder is learning you discern between our own voice and ideas and
God's voice. In this section we model " silencing the voice of enemy"
James talks of " resisting the enemy and he will flee" John 10 says "
his sheep hear his voice" So we are saying " Lord we chose to shut
out any distractions or influence the enemy would to bring to us now
and we take authority over him in Jesus name. Lord we choose to
listen to your voice right now, trusting in your ability to speak to us.
5. BE READY AND LISTEN
The final step is to give God time and to wait before him, thanking him
that he is a God who loves to speak to his children. It's helpful to have
a specific question for the group to all ask father God together. eg. "
Father, is anything there on your heart that you want to share with us
today about our church, city, community, day of outreach, Sunday
school ?" Get comfortable for a few minutes and then feedback in to
small groups or the whole group with Bible verses, impressions,
pictures people got in their minds. Encourage people to speak out
even if what they feel they have is silly or irrelevant. God often speaks
with bits of the picture and it is like putting a puzzle together. After

getting a sense of what God might be saying don't forget to thank him
and pray in to what he has revealed.

01. Good news for the Poor
Make small cards with pictures on them representing things
that many children do not have. For example: Food, clothes,
shoes, water, medicine, family, house, bed, money, school,
Bible, toys.
Place the cards in a container. Allow each person to take a card
and then spend time thinking about what life would be like without the
item on the card. ? Ask each person to write a prayer on the
the card, and then put it back in the container. When all the cards are
completed, have each person take out a card and read the prayers
aloud in the group, until all the prayers have been read.
Make small cards with pictures on them representing things
that many children do not have. For example: Food, clothes,
medicine, family, house, bed, money, school,
Place the cards in a container. Allow each person to take a card
and then spend time thinking about what life would be like without the
item on the card. ? Ask each person to write a prayer on the back of
the card, and then put it back in the container. When all the cards are
completed, have each person take out a card and read the prayers

02. Freedom for the captives
Have a few of the group stand or sit in a circle facing inwards,
representing children in prison. Ask the rest of the group to form
another circle around them, facing outwards (i.e. back to
back with the children), linking arms or holding hands to represent the
bars of a prison.
1. Ask everyone to close their
eyes for a few moments, and
imagine what it would be like to
be a child in prison.
2. Then get everyone to pray out
loud at once:
– Those representing
children pray prayers
of freedom, peace,
protection, hope and
love.
– Those representing
the prison bars
pray for changes in laws, governments
and attitudes.

03. King's KIDS
Each child can make a crown from paper or card, making it as
beautiful as possible with pens, pieces of coloured paper, shiny sweet
wrappers, etc.
The children can then put the crowns on, to show that they are the
King’s children and they are precious to him.
As they wear the crowns, they can pray for children who feel dirty and
unloved because people have hurt them

04. Praying in the Park
This is a great time of year to take a group of kids or youth on a prayer
walk in the park. Lead them in prayer for their city, neighborhoods,
schools, friends, church, pastor, children of the world, etc.
If there are people in the park, two or three of the children or youth
(with adult supervision) could approach them explaining they have
gathered together for prayer and inquire if they have a special request
or need for prayer. Encourage them to pray for/with people
immediately or, if they are a little shy, take the requests back to the
group to be prayed over.

05. The Five Finger Prayer
1. Your thumb is closest to you. The thumb reminds us to pray for those
closest to us - our family and friends.
2. Your pointer finger, or index finger, reminds us of teachers who point
things out to us. Pray for the people who teach you - pastors, teachers,
children's Church leaders, Sunday school teachers, school teachers,
coaches, Girl Scout and Boy Scout leaders, etc.
3. Your middle finger is the longest, which reminds us to pray for those
who are in authority over us. Try to wiggle your middle fingers without
moving any other fingers. Many people can't move them without moving
any other finger. Those in authority over you (your middle finger) move
other people (fingers) to do things.
4. Your ring finger is next to your little finger. It is one of your weakest
fingers, so it reminds you to pray for those who are weak - the sick and
the unsaved.
5. Your little finger is the smallest finger of all. It represents you. We are to
think more highly of others than ourselves (the little finger); therefore, your
little finger reminds you to pray for yourself. While it is important to spend
time praying for others, you should also remember to pray for your own
needs.
6. Your whole hand reminds you that God holds the whole world in His
hand. Send your prayer with praise and worship to God. So, raise your

hands to God and give Him praise. Most of the time, we pray more for
ourselves than we do for others. This helping hand prayer will help you to
remember who to pray for.

06. Disciplined Praying
1. Name It: Around the circle each person names one
person/situation to be prayed for (have someone writes down the list
of prayer requests--don’t forget to hold on to the list, you’ll need it
again)
2. Adopt It: As the list of prayer requests is read, ask the question.
Who is willing to pray for Nick’s uncle this week? How ‘bout Laura’s
friend whose having a difficult time at home?
3. Commit to It: Have each person restate a commitment to hold that
person/situation in prayer for a week. Lord, I pray for Nick’s uncle as
he faces surgery on Friday. Lord, I hold Laura’s friend in my prayer
that you bring her peace.
4. Pray It: Throughout the week each person continues to pray for
that particular concern or joy. 5.Revisit It: Take time to find out about
each prayer concern. Nick, how is your uncle doing? Laura, did your
friend have a good week?

07. Images from the World for Meditation
Use photographs / newspaper articles / pieces of nature to encourage
you to think about situations which need prayer, or simply be inspired
to thank God for his beautiful creation!

08. Lighting a Candle
Lighting a candle as a reminder to pray is a very old idea. Light is a
very powerful symbol of Jesus’ presence. ‘In him was life, and that life
was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness but the
darkness has not understood it…the true light that gives light to every
man was coming into the world’ (John 1: 4—9). Lighting a candle
reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world, that He is present, and
prays with us to the Father (Hebrews 7: 25). Some ways of using
candles:
1) Light a candle in a church or cathedral to represent someone.
2) In your small groups (prayer / cell / home groups), light a candle
during your prayer times.
3) Light a candle on anniversaries
of births / baptisms / deaths etc. to
remind you to pray for that person
(or to thank God for their life).
There are many other ways you
could explore…

09. Plant a Tree / Bulb
Planting a tree can be a lovely reminder of someone who lives far
away, or as a remembrance of someone who has died. Choose a
plant, with characteristics similar to those of your friend:
E.g. a bold red rose for someone on the ‘frontline’ of their work, or a
delicate pink flower for someone with a gentle nature etc. Alternatively
you could choose a plant, which flowered around the time of an
anniversary of a special occasion of your own or a loved one, for
example a baptism, or wedding day. The flower will prompt you to
pray.

10. Clay shapes
Playing with clay or praying with clay can be a really fun experience.
Many of us have not played with clay or play dough since we were
children. However, most adults who have a go seem to become
completely immersed in what they are doing and really enjoy getting
their hands dirty! There are many different activities you could try
using clay.
1) Take lumps of clay and mould them into shapes of different parts of
creation, for which you would like to thank God.
2) Mould a lump of clay into a shape, which might represent how you
are feeling at the moment, or perhaps how you would like to feel and
then pray to God asking him
to help you.
3) Just enjoy the tactile
experience of playing with
clay! It's very therapeutic.

11. Different Prayer Postures
It has become less common to kneel down and ‘put our hands
together and close our eyes’ to pray. Of course, prayer needs no
special formula in order for God to hear it. However, it can be
interesting to try different postures when praying. We use ‘body
language’ to express ourselves day-to-day (some more than others!),
but for some reason when we pray we often close our eyes and
become still. Prayer is about communication: if we have a living
relationship with God, then that will mean expressing all kinds of
emotions, so why not show them!
Here are some examples of possible different postures relating to
particular states.
1. Praise and thanks: stand up and raise your head and hands (don’t
forget to smile!), as you express God’s glory and your gratitude.
2. Confession: sit and bow your head.
3. Asking God for help: kneel and raise your open hands, waiting for
them to be ‘filled’.
4) Your turn! Try expressing doubt or fear etc. through a posture.
It’s o.k. to be honest with God – He knows how you feel anyway!

12. Prayer Walls
The idea here is to build a ‘wall’ of prayer for 24 hours, 7 days a week
(or just 24 hours for a start!) by asking volunteers to sign up for 1 hour
slots of prayer. The aim would be to fill a week with wall-to-wall prayer
for one particular event / situation or person. Each person can pray
wherever they are. You could then repeat the week over and over
again. It is amazing how many people will actually sign up to pray
even at the most unsociable hours! To make it more visual you could
draw a wall with hours of the day written on each brick, and each
person could sign his / her name on that brick.

13. 'Fishing for Prayer' Net
Get or make a fishing net and stick one end on the wall. Cut out little
paper fish for people to write prayer requests on. Stick them onto the
net so people can read them and pray. If it is more of a private prayer,
then simply roll the paper fish up so it could be a message in a bottle.

14. Pray for Street Children
In one corner of the room there could be a large cardboard box and a
dustbin full of 'clean' rubbish tipped on the floor. Allow children to
imagine what it must be like to only have a box for cover at night and
to have to rummage through rubbish to live.
• The children might like to get in the box and pray for children in
these circumstances.
• Provide a 'graffiti' wall (a large sheet of paper attached to wall),
where children could write down prayers to God for the street children.
• If countries or projects are known to you, provide pictures and
specific information and prayer requests.

15. Thanks Giving on Post-it Notes
During a chosen day, carry around a pen and post-it notes. Make an
effort to jot down every time something positive happens or you are
aware of a reason to thank God. This might be
1) for the sun, which provides the energy to run the planet,
2) for having a house to wake up in, and food for breakfast,
3) for having transport to get to school / work,
4) for some kind words spoken to you during the day…
If you really thought about it you would probably run out of post-it
notes! By the end of the day you may have a whole pad of blessings.
We too often make a habit of only noticing bad things that happen,
and gradually forget about the good things that surround us daily. This
exercise can help alter our perspective from the ‘glass half empty’ to
the ‘glass half full’ mentality.
Understandably, there might be days or indeed long periods of time
when you may feel that there is little to be thankful for at all. Perhaps
you have been unwell or unemployed for a long time? Perhaps you
have difficulties with your family or job?…and so on. If so, you might
find yourself thinking, ‘Well, that’s o.k. for you, but what about my
situation?’ You may find this exercise emotionally difficult, but on the

other hand, it might help you to recognize some of the good things
you do have, and feel a bit more positive. I pray that this will be the
case, if you give it a go. Often it is the people who face the most trying
of circumstances who are examples to others for their ability to realize
how much there is to be thankful for, even in hard times.
other hand, it might help you to recognize some of the good things
do have, and feel a bit more positive. I pray that this will be the
case, if you give it a go. Often it is the people who face the most trying
of circumstances who are examples to others for their ability to realize

16. Intersession Drama - Praying with a
Map or globe
Praying with a Map or Globe
This activity probably works best with a group. Ask members of your
group to name situations in countries overseas, for which they would
like to pray. Make a list, something like this:
1) Iraq- for all the innocent people who have been injured or lost their
homes in the recent war and continuing unrest.
2) Indonesia – for all Christians who are in great danger of
persecution because of their faith.
3) Chile – for a friend called … who is working as a missionary.
4) Spain – for relatives who have just moved, and need to find good
friends.
5) Sri Lanka - Civil War
You will probably discover that members of your group have some
very interesting contacts! Either using a large world map or globe, put
pins or sticky labels onto the relevant locations. You might wish to use
small photographs or short summaries of each situation. Your ‘prayer

map’ could be displayed in your church, or globe used in your small
groups as a focal point when you pray.
(Don’t forget to keep it up-to-date: it doesn’t give a very good
impression about the prayer-life of your Church if notices are not
current!)

17. Pass the parcel
Divide your group in to smaller groups of 10 or so. Wrap a nice gift like
some chocolate in several layers of paper. On each layer write a
prayer request or something to do as individuals, in twos, all together
as a group. Play music and pass the parcel! When the music stops
the person holding the parcel gets to unwrap one layer and read out
the prayer activity.
Ps. This really worked with my group of children.

18. Sending Balloons to Heaven
This is a fun group activity, particularly for children, though anyone
can enjoy it! You will need helium balloons. write prayers for, or just
names of, people overseas, into balloons. At a specific time, all
release the balloons, praying together. It is a good symbol of the
‘prayers of the saints’ (that’s all Christians) flying up to heaven for God
to answer. You could even write your address / email address onto a
balloon and see if you get a response from someone finding it!

19. Praying through Sketches
You might not think of yourself as an artist, but I challenge you to have
a go as a prayer activity! I was never any good at art as a child, but
when I tried sketching some of my feelings years later, I was quite
surprised by what I produced on the paper.
1) There are no rules, so whatever I produce is more interesting than
a blank piece of paper.
2) It’s a different way of getting things off my chest from talking.
3) I am quite often surprised that I managed to draw something, which
actually looks reasonably good!

20. Step Outside & Pray
• This time of prayer and praise is fun and creative.
• Equip each person with a small bag, or even better a small
bucket, a 3 x 5 card and pencil, and a Bible.
• Have each person go outside and find 10 things that can fit into the
bag or bucket that remind them of God.
• Have them write down each item on the 3 x 5 card. Next find a Bible
verse that can be related to their item and write it down on the card.
• Come back together and relate what you have found.
• Then take the time to praise God for the things you have shared.

21. Rockin' for the Lord
• Send everyone outside in different directions. Have them find 10
different rocks. They can be different sizes, types, or colors.
• Come back together and read Joshua 3:1 - 4:7. Joshua had the
children of Israel build an altar of remembrance. You will do the same
thing.
• In an attitude of prayer have each person bring one rock at a
time and place it down in the center of the group to create an altar.
Each time they place a rock down they say should one thing that they
are thankful for. If necessary, use a can or two of brown Playdoh to
stick the rocks together.

22. Breaking Chains
Give each member of the group/congregation a slip of paper,
approximately 2X8 cm.
(Alternatively, use pre-prepared paper chain packs.)
Ask each person to write a prayer for the victims or perpetrators of
human trafficking on their slip of paper. Join the strips into one long
chain. Invite the group/congregation to hold the chain above their
heads. Then read a prayer out loud together, and when you reach the
‘amen’, everyone should demolish as much of the chain as they can,
as a sign of God’s desire for the chains of injustice to be broken.

23. Ask - Seek – Knock
The key to praying is often knowing exactly how to approach the
need. If someone is sick, do you ask God to heal them, do you
rebuke the sickness, do you need to pray through some
underlying problem, etc.? This is a good model to use when
you’re not sure which approach to take.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the
door will be opened to you” -Matthew. 7:7-8 NIV
1- Ask God to anoint you to pray for this particular need.
Admit that you don’t have what it takes, and you need His
supernatural help even to pray effectively. Then receive
His anointing.
2- Search for the right approach or promises to apply to this
need. Lay down your own personal understanding of the
situation, or your own desires for the solution. Wait with
the Lord until you have received the revelation you need.
It may help to Search through His promises until He
highlights the right ones.
3- Knock on His door of heaven with these promises or
revelation in your hand. Come with boldness, because
you know you have His heart on the matter. Don’t give up,
keep knocking until He opens the door, and you receive
the blessing you seek.

24. Throwing prayers
Get a large sheet of cardboard and stick duct tape on it back to front.
(Bend over each end and stick it on) so that the card is covered with
the tape and the sticky side is facing out. Give everyone a piece of
paper and ask them to write on it a brief prayer for children in your
community, or the names of children they know who aren’t? a part of
your church. On a given signal, get them to make a ball out of that
paper and throw it at the sticky card so that it sticks. Pray a general
prayer that God will help these children stick with him (or you could
come up with a slightly less corny way of praying!)

25. Bookmarks
Give everyone a slip of paper or card and ask them to write or draw
on it something that will remind them of the needs of children in the
local community. You could help them by providing some cuttings or
news footage about children in your area. Alternatively they could
draw the On Our Knees Again arrows to remind them that we need to
be praying to God, listening to children and seeing things from their
point of view, and asking God to show us what we need to do to
reverse the decline.
Ask people to put the bookmarks in their Bibles and to pray about
these things each time they come across them.

26. Scripture Prayers
Find about 10 verses from the Bible about God’s heart for the poor,
the oppressed, widows and orphans.
Before your Sunday meeting, select 10 people from the congregation,
and give them a verse each (try to choose those who rarely do ‘up-
front’ things).
In the prayer time, ask them simply to stand up where they are, one at
a time, and read their verse.
(NB. This activity is most effective when you have primed them
beforehand, so that it comes as a surprise to the congregation.
Hearing God’s heart, spoken by unfamiliar voices from different parts
of the building, can be very striking.)

27. Local Focus
This call to prayer lasts just a few days, but the problem of trafficking
will be around for much longer. Do some investigations in your local
community, and choose some mid/long-term prayer goals to work
towards together.
Ask the police whether they believe trafficked people live in your area,
and if so, how many. Commit to praying that the police will
successfully prosecute perpetrators, and that the number will
decrease over the next year.
Are there shops which display adult magazines where children can
see them? Begin to pray together that shopkeepers will change their
practices. In this case, writing to the shop owners as well as praying
could be an effective way forward.
God’s word is clear and unequivocal that we should welcome the
foreigners in our midst, regardless of how they come to be there.
Begin a campaign of kindness towards those of other cultures who
live in your area. Pray for them, and find ways to bless them.

28. Sharing Burdens
Acquire a piece of chain and a padlock. (You can buy these from any
Hardware shop.)In your small group prayer time, give one person the
chain, and ask them to hold it.
As they feel the weight, coldness and hardness of it, invite them to
pray for those who live in slavery today.
When they have prayed, invite them to pass it to the next person, to
do the same thing. Repeat this, until everyone in the group has held
the chain and prayed. (This activity is best suited to small groups)

29. Open doors
Give everyone a piece of paper with a picture of an open door on it
(you could photocopy one or ask them to draw one). Start by asking
them to think of children who used to be in the church but have left
(the open door symbolising departure) – they may know them by
name, or they might need to think more generally of children leaving
church. Ask them to pray that wherever those children are today they
will sense how much God loves them. Ask for God’s forgiveness for
attitudes and actions that may have caused them to leave.
Now ask everyone to think of the open door as a way of coming into
the church. Ask them to pray that those same children who left would
come back in. Ask God to show your church what can be done to help
them return. In addition,
you could ask them to
think of where the open
doors are in your church
(groups, activities,
events…) and that God
would help children to find
them and come in.

30. Station Prayer
STATIONS OF PRAYER -for a special prayer adventure with the
family or youth group at home, church or outdoors, set up a variety of
prayer stations.
At each station, post 3 X 5 cards that would guide prayer. Vary the
activities by using suggestions listed in this packet. You may want to
have “mementos” at each station for participants to take along. A
couple of examples in the church setting might be...in the secretaries
office, print the names of congregational members who are ill or shut
in. After offering a prayer, the participants would take the card along
and continue to prayer for that person. A bathroom sink filled with
water provides a unique setting for a prayer on our baptism. Make the
sign of the cross with the water before leaving that station.

31. Prayer Props
There are many ways of using resources and modern technology
to pray in new ways. Here are just a few:
• Text prayer groups . People commit themselves to pray at a
particular time and text each other as a reminder; or one of the group
texts the others with a prayer or Bible text for reflection.
• Set up an e-mail group and send each other prayer ideas and
requests.
• Use images to stimulate prayer, e.g. postcards, or images from
magazines can be scattered around a room and people can choose
one that inspires or moves them. Have a time of quiet to pray about
issues that the images bring up and then invite those who feel able to
talk about the experience.
• Magnet magazine is an excellent source of striking images that can
stimulate reflection and prayer.
• Create presentations use Power Point or OHPs to combine music
and images that might lead people into prayer. This is a great way of

offering intercessions in worship. Use images that reflect the news
and the world around us.
• Set up a Prayer Board at church, low enough for children to reach.
Encourage people to pin prayers onto the board. Why not have a
different theme each week? Shape your note paper to reflect your
theme, e.g. hand shapes for thanksgiving; fish shapes for prayers
about mission; leaf shapes for creation. Have plenty of pens and
pencils available for people to use.

32. Letters to God
Some people find it easier to write down their feelings than to
verbalise them. Try writing a letter to God, expressing what's going on
in your mind. You might want to say sorry for something, or there may
be a situation you just can't understand and want to pour out your
feelings. Maybe you want to make a promise to God to do something
particular or to change a habit? I often find that writing something
down helps me to understand it or deal with it. By writing specifically
to God, you accomplish all of the above and leave it in His hands –
the best hands to deal with it!

33. Bible Stories Meditation
The Bible is packed with stories about real characters in real,
challenging situations. This prayer idea combines prayer and Bible
study – so it has double value! Why not take a story and imagine
yourself into the character's situation?
You can probably conjure up more questions to ask yourself once you
get into the flow. Finish your meditation with a prayer, thanking God
for giving us stories about people in the past, who made mistakes like
us, and yet some were also amazing examples of how to live for God.
Then ask God for help with anything you found difficult that came out
of the story or that related to you personally.
Ask yourself,
‘How would I have felt?'
‘What would my response have been?'
Then, can you relate this story to a personal experience or perhaps
one of someone you know? Ask,
‘What did I do in that situation?'
‘Did I respond like [ character's name ]?'

‘Did they respond in the best way?'
‘What did he / she / I learn about God?'
‘Where was God in the whole picture?'
(This may be different from how you felt God to be present!)
Some good stories for starters: loads in the Old Testament…try
putting yourself in Abraham's shoes or Joseph's in any of their
challenging situations (Genesis) , Moses (Exodus) , Elijah (1 Kings) ,
Jonah, Job (if you're prepared to be stretched!). And in the New
Testament, what about Mary or Joseph discovering that Mary was
pregnant with God's Son? Or choose one of the people who met
Jesus: a disciple /someone he healed /someone he accepted and
forgave, like the tax-collector Zacchaeus, or Mary the prostitute?
There are lots of exciting stories about the early Church in Acts you
could explore…

34. Braided Prayers
Set out colorful strips of cloth and a length of clothesline tied between
to trees or posts. Invite worshippers to take three cloth strips to
represent three people or things they want to pray about. Tie the ends
of the three strips to the clothesline and then braid the three together,
all the while meditating and praying on the selected pray concerns.
Encourage participants to take note of the braided cloths left by others
and to consider their prayers as well.

35. Prayer Path
Create a simple circular path out of tape on the floor or chairs and
rope. Design the path to wind in on itself and reach an open center
space that is equipped with pillows on the floor and written instructions
for participants to sit and offer silent prayers for those people who
have been important to their own prayer journey and to offer thanks to
God for their guidance.

36. Water Prayers
Provide a large glass bowl and pitcher of water . Provide instructions
for participants to offer a silent prayer and pour a small amount of
water into the bowl. As each person prays, his or her water prayers
are mixed with those of others as the bowl fills.

37. Short Daily Prayers
Act of Faith
My God,
I believe in you and in
all your Church teaches,
because you have said it and
your word is true.
Act of Hope
My God
I hope in you for grace
and glory,
because of your promises,
your mercy and
your power.
Act of Charity
My God,
because you are so good,
I love you with my whole heart,
and for your sake,
I love my neighbour as
myself.
Act of Contrition
My God, I am very sorry
I have sinned against you,
Because you are so good,
and I will not
sin again.

38. Thanks Giving Parties
Let's take some time during 2013 to honour God by gathering over a
meal to thank him for all that he has done for us, all he is doing and all
he will do. For more ideas on ways to pray, check out our resource
book. Or better yet, have a chat with friends and see what you come
up with!

39. Cast off Your Burdens
Take the things you wish to confess, the conflicts or the mistakes
made, write them on scraps of paper and put them anonymously into
a container. When you have prayed over these, you might wish to
burn them or otherwise dispose of them. (As an alternative, you might
want to attach the scraps to a cross to represent Jesus' death taking
away our burdens). It is important to encourage people to share what
they have prayed about afterwards with a trusted friend or mentor.

40. The News
Read a news clipping.
Think about what it must be like to be the people involved in that story
or the people involved with or affected by them.
Begin to pray for the people involved from the position of having 'stood
in their shoes' in your imagination.

41. Preschool Prayer Phone
Some kids can talk and talk on the phone to their parents or
grandparents, yet they don't know what to say to God. Encourage
preschoolers to talk to Jesus by making a "prayer phone." Use a real
phone that no longer works, and let the kids use the phone to tell God all
about their day, what made them happy or sad, what they learned, what
they want to do to make God happy, or how they need God to help them.

Play and pray new book

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